Rolling with the punches
Sometimes taking on a pro bono project can be a real bear. Between juggling paying clients and what is basically free work, pro bono projects often get the raw end of the deal. That’s not the case with the Virginia Zoo’s annual report. Ringer Creative in Virginia Beach, Va., truly made it a labor of love.

“About three-quarters of the way through the project, the client called and said her budget had been cut—significantly,” says Jeff Ringer, principal. “We were too far along to change concepts so I had to beg, barter, and call in favors from a printer, photographer, and paper company. This added several extra days to the process.”

The budget constraints almost proved costly to the overall production quality of the report. “Because the budget was slashed, there wasn’t time or money for me to attend the press run,” says Ringer. “The pressman running the job noticed that the paper was soaking up the ink and the job looked very washedout. He took it upon himself to stop the press and explore some alternatives with his team. He came up with a solution of a touch plate of fluorescent yellow which made the images pop. The solution made all the difference in the world.”

To cope with the budget cuts, Ringer downsized the report. “Originally it was going to be 11x14,” he says. “I then consolidated information and pages. I couldn’t bind in found objects and envelopes [as originally planned], so I decided to scan the items and work with them in Photoshop to add dimension. I handwrote most of the copy—luckily, I have very legible handwriting. I did all of the little spot illustrations. I called the paper company and got the paper at cost. I called the printer and asked them to reduce their price. And with the help of my 13-year-old son, we bound all of the annual reports by hand.”

Ringer’s early brainstorming logs of meeting notes and inspirations included several themes that found their way into the final product.	All of the text was handwritten by Ringer, except for the financial data. As in the brainstorming stages, he drew all of the small animals interspersed throughout the report.
Ringer found inspiration in the published journal of a young Reuters photographer who was tragically slain in Africa.	The designer’s earlier pitch, a journal concept, was quickly accepted because he went the extra mile to show how it would work in print.
The journal concept was particularly challenging because time was short and the designer had to create and collect materials on his own.